Toothbrush

ABSTRACT

A toothbrush providing a radiation source of selected optical range, having the radiation source built into a cavity in the handpiece of the toothbrush. The brush head may be transparent and the bristles may be transparent. Various combinations of scattering, transparent and reflective properties of the brush head, the type of radiation source, and bristle transparency allows selected influence directly on different field and tissues of the oral cavity. Radiation wavelength is selectable to provide treatment to both the soft tissue of the oral cavity and to the teeth. Selected radiation penetrates the pulp of the tooth to stimulate and enhance calcium transport to the dentine and enamel of the tooth to prevent and treat cavities.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention concerns tooth brushes and can be used in dentistry forprofilaxis and treatment of oral diseases.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

A tooth brush is known, as shown in PCT N90/0906, A61 N1/32, A46 B15/00date of publication 23.08.90, which is hereby incorporated by reference,comprising an electrode on the handle, the electrode having sharpenededges in the base of the bristles. The electronic circuit providing theconditions of application of bipolar pulse train (especially with 50 Hzfrequency) to oral tissues, and an LED indicating the operation of theelectronic circuit are mounted inside the brush handle. The maindisadvantage of this device is that it only influences gum tissue.

There is also known a tooth brush which is closest to the presentinvention from the technical point of view as disclosed in (JapanN3-15883, A46 B15/00, A61 N5/06, D01 F8/04 date of publication Apr. 03,1991), which is hereby incorporated by reference, comprising a handlewith built-in power supply heater, and a head with bristles made ofspecial thermoactive material radiating in the far infrared range. Themain disadvantage of this device is the absence of radiation providingthe profilaxis and treatment influence on both teeth and gum.

Thus there is a need for a toothbrush that provides profilaxis andtreatment to both teeth and gums.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention consists of a tooth brush providing profilaxis andtreatment influence on both tooth tissues and soft oral tissues.

The specified problem is solved under the realization of the inventiondue to achievement of technical results consisting of application ofradiation of an optical range that provides antiinflammatory andcaries-protective influence on oral tissues as well as stimulating theirregeneration by providing radiation that penetrates the enamel, dentine,and pulp of the tooth, thereby enhancing transport of calcium to thedentine and enamel.

The specified technical results of the invention are achieved by a toothbrush comprising a handpiece with a cavity, a brush head with bristles,and built in to the handpiece cavity and electrically connected througha switcher, a radiation source and power supply. The radiation source isa source of radiation of a particular optical range and the brush headis made of transparent material and may be disconnected from thehandpiece.

The light source may be a laser diode or light emitting diode.

The light source may also be a filament lamp and the handpiece may bemade of color transparent material.

The brush head may contain light scattering materials.

The brush head may also have a reflecting or back scattering coating,with bristles made of transparent material.

The brush head may contain photoluminescent substances, especially dyes.

The physiotherapeutic influence of visible and near UV and IR radiationis well known. At low doses these radiations have a biostimulatingaction on tissues. The most efficient of these radiations is laserradiation as shown in A. S. Kryuk,, V. A. Mostovnikov, I. V. Khokhlov,N. S. Serdyuchenko. Therapeutic efficiency of low-intensity laserradiation. Minsk: Science & Engineering, 1986. V. E. Illarionov. Theprinciples of laser therapy. M. Published by "RESPECT" of"INOTECH-Progress" Co., which is hereby incorporated by reference.

It has been found that there is antibacterial and antiinflammatoryaction of UV (330-380 nm), blue (440-450 nm) and green (514-590) nm)radiation. In addition the red (630-640 nm) and near IR (830-1300 nm)radiation also provides profilaxis and caries treating influence.

The profilaxis influence against caries is provided by irradiation ofodontoblasts and tooth pulp due to the waveguide effect of lightpropagation in the enamel prisms and dentinal tubules- see G. B.Altshuler, V. N. Grisimov. "The effect of waveguide light propagation inhuman tooth". Doklady AN USSR, v.310, N5, pp.1245-1248, 1990; G. B.Altshuler, V. N. Grisimov. "New optical effects in the human hard toothtissues". Proc. SPIE. Lasers and Medicine, v.1353, pp97-102, 1991, whichis herein incorporated by reference. The stimulation of the pulp anddentinal tubules enhances transport of calcium to the enamel.

While the gums are irradiated both antiparadontosis action andpenetration of light inside teeth take place. The radiation is mostefficient in combination with massage of the gums because pressuring ofalive soft tissue causes an increase in its transparency therebyproviding for better penetration of the radiation- see G. A. Askaryan"The increasing of transmission of laser and other radiation through thesoft turbid physical and biological media". Kvantovaya Electronika, V.9,N7, 1982, pp.1370-1383, which is herein incorporated by reference.

The useful irradiation of a whole oral cavity is provided in the claimedtooth brush due to the presence of a light source connected to anelectrical power supply and a transparent brush head which can be madeof light scattering material.

The type of light source used is determined by the necessity ofapplication of light with specified spectral parameters, and a dose thatis useful for the specified type of hard and soft oral tissues.

More intensive irradiation of teeth and gums are provided with a toothbrush that has transparent bristles and reflecting or back scatteringcoating of the brush head. The increased irradiation delivered is due tothe fact that tooth and gum tissue is not completely transparent andreflects some of the initial radiation. A reflective coating on thebrush head of course enables some of the reflected initial radiation tobe captured in the brush head and redirected back to the mouth cavity.

Photoluminescent substances, especially dyes, introduced into the brushhead can provide practically all the useful spectral range of oralcavity radiation under te influence of a single shortwave, for example,UV or blue light source. The single light source excites the particularphotoluminescent material which then releases light of the desiredwavelength.

Thus, the invention can provide an inexpensive device which does notrequire the use of a laser and which can still provide any desiredwavelength light.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES

FIG. 1 represents the tooth brush having a radiation source in the formof laser diode or light emitting diode connected to the power supplythrough the switcher, and having a transparent brush head.

FIG. 2 represents the tooth brush having a radiation source in the formof filament lamp, and a brush head made of color transparent material.

FIG. 3 shows the tooth brush wherein the brush head has a reflectingcoating and the bristles are transparent.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The tooth brush (FIG. 1) comprises a handpiece 1 with cavity 2, aradiation source 3 built-in to handpiece cavity 2 and electricallyconnected to a power supply 4 through contacts 5 of a switcher 6. Thebristles 7 are fixed on a brush head 8, which may be transparent. When afilament lamp is used as a radiation source 3 (FIG. 2) the brush head 8is made of color transparent material.

The brush head 8 may be covered alternatively by a reflecting coating 9(FIG. 3) and also may be made of light scattering material and coveredby it. When brush head 8 is formed from light scattering material orcovered by a reflective coating, the bristles 7 are preferablytransparent.

The device operates as follows. After the power supply of radiationsource 3 is switched on by pressing a button of switcher 6, theradiation from the source 3 reaches the body of brush head 8 and theoral cavity.

If a filament lamp is used as the radiation source 3, a spectral filtershould be used to provide the desired spectral range because of the widespectral band of the filament lamp source. A brush head made of thedesired color (green, blue or red) transparent material may play therole of such filter.

If the bristles 7 are made of transparent material, especially in thecase where the brush head 8 is covered by a reflective coating 9, orwhen the radiation is scattered within the brush head, most of theradiation reaches the bristles, concentrates in them and then reachesthe places of contact between bristles 7 and teeth or gum tissues.

Photoluminescent additives, for example dyes, inside the brush head 8provide irradiation of the oral cavity not only by radiation deliveredfrom the radiation source 3 but also by radiation the spectralparameters of which are defined by Stokes law.

The wavelength of radiation emitted by the photoluminescent substancesis always longer than the wavelength of radiation source 3. If there isa single UV or blue radiation source, photoluminescent additives allowone to deliver to the oral cavity the other desirable spectralcomponents of visible and infrared light.

An example device would include the following: laser diodes SDL-2380-Swith 810 nm radiation wavelength and SDL-7430 with 675 nm radiationwavelength (see Product Catalog SDL "Semiconductor Diode Lasers" 1995),light emitting diodes are LEDS-5 and LEDS-3 (blue, green, red)(seeCatalog "RS components", Viena, 1995), and the low-dimension powersupply VARTA chrom 547.

THE INDUSTRIAL APPLICATION

Thus taking into account above the claimed device allows to solve theproblem of profilaxis and treatment influence on oral tissues

I claim:
 1. A therapeutic tooth brush comprising:a removable, brush headmade of transparent material and having transparent bristles; a handlewith a cavity; a switch unit; a light source connected via said switchunit with a power supply which is built in said cavity in said handle;wherein said light source is a source of radiation of an optical rangehaving a wavelength in the range of about 440-1300 nanometers such thatradiation is directable both to the surface of teeth and soft tissuesand is directable to penetrate the gum tissue, odontoblasts, and deepwithin the tooth tissue to stimulate the tooth pulp.
 2. The tooth brushas defined in claim 1 wherein said light source is a laser diode.
 3. Thetooth brush as defined in claim 1 wherein said light source is a lightemitting diode.
 4. The tooth brush as defined in claim 1 wherein saidlight source is a filament lamp and said brush head is made of colortransparent material.
 5. The tooth brush as defined in claim 1 whereinsaid brush head contains light scattering materials.
 6. The tooth brushas defined in claim 1 wherein said brush head has a reflecting or backscattering coating and said bristles are transparent.
 7. The tooth brushas defined in claim 1 wherein said brush head contains photoluminescentsubstances.
 8. The tooth brush as defined in claim 1 wherein said lightsource is located at said brush head, bristles are not present at thepoint of output of radiation from said brush head and said brush headsurface forms an optical lens.
 9. The tooth brush as defined in claim 1wherein material of said brush head is unavailable at the point ofradiation output from said brush head.
 10. The tooth brush as defined inclaim 1 wherein said brush head is mounted with more than one lightsource.
 11. The tooth brush as defined in claim 1 wherein said handleand said brush head are equipped with an electrical connector, whereinone part of said connector is mounted on said brush head and isconnected electrically with said light source and another part of saidconnector is mounted on said brush handle and is connected electricallywith said switch unit and said power supply such that said tooth brushis adaptable with respect to said light source.